Jota, Kelly, Iling junior – Spurs January transfer plans amid injury crisisTottenham Hotspur’s season has been disrupted by an injury crisis.
So what does this mean for Ange Postecoglou’s first January transfer window at the club? book mark
Jota has been linked with a reunion with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur after failing to play for Al-Ittihad in their league matches.
Tottenham Hotspur’s January transfer window will now be as much about strengthening Ange Postecoglou’s broken side as improving it for the future.Spurs now have ten first-team players injured, and Cristian Romero is still out, meaning an entire squad of Postecoglou players are currently out of action.
The improvement and improvement of the Australian team will initially fall into the hands of new technical director Johan Lange, chief scout Rob Mackenzie and head of football knowledge and strategy Frederik Leth – no doubt with advisory input from former general director of football, Fabio Paratici – before the target lists are presented to the head coach for decision.During a recent press conference, Postecoglou was asked if any transfer meetings had taken place amid the injury crisis.
“I think the challenge for us was that they all arrived at the same time because they’re not staggered. As far as January goes, the planning is definitely outside of that. Johan arrived and is leading everything in terms of all the work background,” said the Tottenham manager.
“My involvement increases as we get closer to January and understand exactly what our needs are at the moment, although there has been some work underway under Johan’s leadership and he has brought in a number of people to help in that area.
We will work with him when the time is right.”This is what needs to happen in January in every department of the team. goalieThis is the only area where departure is mandatory and no entry is required at this time.
Hugo Lloris became a supporting figure at the club, involved in training but not traveling with the team to matches. His contract expires this summer and the former long-time captain must return to a club in January or he will have lost a year at the end of his career.
Elsewhere, Spurs are currently established in the goalkeeping department, with Guglielmo Vicario impressing as the new man between the posts with strong support from Fraser Forster and academy youngster Brandon Austin. Alfie Whiteman remains injured after suffering an unfortunate ankle problem in pre-season.
The summer could be a period of movement as Postecoglou again looks at options beyond Vicario, but there is little reason to change now unless a strong free agent emerges on the market. Full back Again, this is an area that likely won’t require any changes in January unless something notable appears in the market.
Postecoglou has Pedro Porro and Emerson Royal on the right and Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies on the left, while Ryan Sessegnon is still out following hamstring surgery.
If Sessegnon is back in the next couple of months he will likely be loaned out, although Udogie’s minor injury problems of late will be closely monitored.Central defenderA priority area for improvement in the January transfer window.
It was after the arrival of Micky van de Ven in the summer and even more so when Postecoglou approved the sale of Davinson Sanchez to Galatasaray after the closure of the English summer window.”It’s fair to say we’re a little light there, but at the same time I thought it was a good opportunity for Davinson to get a long-term contract.
We had to rebuild and change this team. There’s no point in just tinkering. We have to make a significant work, and that would never be done in one go,” Postecoglou told football.
london at the time. “Equally important was to create the opportunity now to come in in January, or in subsequent periods, and strengthen that area. It’s fair to say that we probably need another central defender within the squad.
Even if we did.” We have quite functional players and they can give us a job in this.“We have young Ash, who works very hard and is constantly improving. For us it would have been a missed opportunity to keep him for any kind of security. We need to change this team, rebuild this team and that’s why we let Davinson go.
Spurs tested a number of England defenders during the summer window, including Lloyd Kelly, Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo. Since then, Chalobah and Adarabioyo have struggled with injury issues.
The latter only returned for Fulham last weekend following groin surgery, while the Chelsea centre-back remains sidelined with a hamstring injury which has kept him out away all season.
He suffered a setback a few weeks ago as he was preparing to return. Given Tottenham’s current problems with hamstring injuries, a big money move for Chalobah, who has five years left on his contract at Chelsea with an option for a further 12 months, seems less likely at this stage than during the summer.
In contrast, Kelly has started most of Bournemouth’s Premier League games since the south coast club rejected Spurs’ attempt to sign the 25-year-old at the end of the summer window.
Like Adarabioyo, his contract expires this summer, but he has not only played as a centre-back and left-back for the Cherries this season, but has also captained the team on several occasions.
He fits the Postecoglou mold as he is confident in possession with a quick rotation, but Bournemouth rate the player highly and are expected to try to sign him to a new contract. Spurs have long been keen on Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace, but January seems an unlikely time for a major move for the England defender.
Everton’s Ben Godfrey has also been linked with Spurs and the 25-year-old England international is expected to be cleared to leave this winter after being left out of the squad under Sean Dyche.
Godfrey’s 21-year-old teammate Jarrad Branth waite is among those keeping him out of the Toffees squad and has also been linked with Tottenham, but appears to be a key player under Dyche, playing almost every minute.
Depending on when Van de Ven is expected to return in the new year, that could push Spurs to get a deal done for a new defender early in the window, which isn’t always the easiest time to do something like this. Ashley Phillips is also expected to be out until the end of December due to his ankle injury.
Tottenham could now take the overseas route with one place currently available in the rosters of foreign players, but could free up two more places by not signing Lloris or Ivan Perisic, who they expect will be out of action this season.
The north London club are said to have an interest in 21-year-old Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin, among other top clubs. One of last season’s big targets was Edmond Tapsoba, but he signed a new five-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen just two months ago.
Some fans have speculated about a possible January recall for Joe Rodon, who enjoys a superb loan spell at Leeds United, but his manager there, Daniel Farke, has made it clear that is not an option in his deal. As for departures, Postecoglou can’t let anyone leave at the moment unless Spurs bring two new faces through the door.
There are only around six months left on Eric Dier’s contract, so he is unlikely to agree to a permanent move at this stage, while a loan move won’t benefit Tottenham apart from cutting some or his entire salary.
Lange and his team should provide Postecoglou with a list of potential new centre-back stars so he can decide which one suits his team best.Central midfielderThis seemed like an area Spurs were expected to be strong in this season, but fate would now pay them a regular visit.
They will be without Rodrigo Bentancur until at least February due to an ankle ligament injury, while James Maddison will be out until the new year due to his ankle problem.
And then there’s the fact that Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will go to the Africa Cup of Nations with Mali and Senegal respectively. That competition will take place from January 13 to February 11 and Senegal won it last year.
This means Postecoglou’s only natural central midfielders available in January, if they can stay fit, are Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso.
Postecoglou showed on Sunday that he can deploy Dejan Kulusevski in a more creative role if needed.
Spurs need to continue working on their future under Postecoglou and that will likely require a new central midfielder, especially as Hojbjerg’s contract expires in 18 months and the Dane doesn’t appear to be a starter when everyone else is fit and available.
Lange and his Aston Villa recruitment team will draw up a list of potential central midfield gems for Postecoglou to keep an eye on.
Conor Gallagher was linked with Tottenham this summer, but having played almost every minute under Mauricio Pochettino this season and captaining the team at times, it seems likely that the remaining 18 months of his contract will be extended with a new deal, and the player has admitted it a lot himself in recent weeks.
Italian media have linked Spurs with a move for veteran Roma star Bryan Cristante, a defensive midfielder who has occasionally replaced center back in Jose Mourinho’s side this season.
However, the 28-year-old only appears to fit into Postecoglou’s sixth midfield position, the most competitive position.
Ruben Neves has also been linked with most of the Premier League’s top teams this season on loan with the former Wolves man currently playing for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League but his side are currently expected to push back any interest in him.
Kalvin Phillips is expected to leave Manchester City in January in search of regular football, but the 27-year-old, who wants to play at Euro 2024, is expected to want more regular football than Spurs can offer him.
Postecoglou will probably want a number eight in January, a midfielder who can move up and down the pitch and contribute assists and goals. In terms of spending, Hojbjerg may not leave at this point unless a big offer comes in for him that allows him another offer.
Skipp is desperate for game time and a loan move but the absences of Bissouma and Sarr make that difficult unless someone leaves the AFCON in early January.
Before Tottenham had plenty of options in their winger roles, then injuries struck, with Manor Solomon out for three to four months and Perisic out for the season.
Then Richarlison, who can play out wide or in the middle, was out for a month in early November after undergoing groin surgery.
That leaves captain Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson, Kulusevski, Bryan Gil and Alejo Veliz as the only offensive options available to Postecoglou. Lo Celso could also take on a more advanced role if necessary.
To make matters worse, Spurs will lose their captain as Son will play for South Korea in the Asian Cup, which will take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10.
This has made the search for a new creative striker, preferably someone like Johnson, who could play up front, an important addition for Postecoglou in the January window.
One obvious link is his former Celtic striker Jota, who has been unable to play for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in league matches as they can only include eight foreign players in his team.
The 24-year-old Portuguese scored 28 goals and provided 26 assists in two seasons under Postecoglou at Celtic, playing on both the left and right flanks. He knows the Postecoglou method well and knows what it takes.
With his situation in Saudi Arabia still unclear, Spurs will likely consider the possibility of a transfer at least for the striker, represented by Jorge Mendes’s Gestifute agency.
Gift Orban is an attacking talent that Tottenham have been keeping an eye on for some time and, apart from a few hat-tricks in the Europa Conference League, the 21-year-old has failed to maintain the same scoring streak he scored against Gent last season.
The striker has just three league goals to his name and has lost his place in the starting line-up in recent months due to questions from his coach Hein Vanhaeze brouck about his work ethic and lack of pressure on the pitch.
Spurs have also kept an eye on England Under-21 international Samuel Iling-Junior this summer and the 20-year-old Islington-born Juventus winger is yet to break through consistently for Torino.
The north London club had already looked at Leeds striker Wilfried Gnonto, who can play three positions in attack and has not yet regained his starting place in Farke’s team after an ankle injury.
Furthermore, Tottenham still retain a sell-on clause for Marcus Edwards, despite him waiving part of it when he signed Porro, meaning they could sign him for a lower price if they wanted him at some point.
The 24-year-old attacking midfielder, thankfully unhurt but shaken after a car crash on his way to training at Sporting Lisbon this week, left Spurs in 2019 but the club continue to monitor his progress as he spends time in Portugal and Portugal impresses on the European scene.
The striker has scored two goals and four assists in 10 league matches for Sporting so far this season and scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season, including two goals and two assists in the Champions League .
Postecoglou could use another finisher at the top unless Veliz takes his chance when he gets it in the coming weeks. Either way, Tottenham need more jobs in several departments in January.
